nicolegcounselling

Much of my background has been working with folks who have experienced violence in their relationships. Many of us know what this can look like from the outside; isolation, verbal or emotional abuse, financial power over your partner, physical abuse. We can get so accustomed to this experience or spotting the red flags, that we have a challenging time knowing what a healthy relationship looks and feels like. So what does a healthy relationship actually look like?  Every relationship is...

Even as a counsellor, I am not exempt from experiencing burnout. Becoming a counsellor was a rewarding yet chaotic road filled with juggling roles of being a student and a professional, minimal downtime for self-care, and learning who I was in my new career. My first position as a certified counsellor was working in a post secondary setting, often meeting folks who were at risk, greatly struggling, and needing intense amounts of clinical support. By the end of my term I was burnt out,...

Many of the clients that I work with have endured some degree of trauma in their lives. From big, life altering moments, to smaller more manageable pieces of pain, they all can have a lasting impact. One of the most common things I hear clients say about their traumatic experiences is the mental load and capacity that trauma occupies in their brain on a daily basis. It’s almost as if it's a horror movie playing on a loop quietly in the background. Most of the time it's just there being...